In bi-directional communications systems of the related art, a ground station transmits and receives signals to and from a satellite, and the satellite, in turn, transmits and receives signals to and from a mobile platform. Typically, a plurality of satellites are present that cover particular geographic regions, and each satellite further includes a plurality of transponders that receive data from the ground station and subsequently transmit data to the mobile platform. In addition, the mobile platform includes receive and transmit antennas, which are used to communicate with the satellite transponders.
A ground station typically includes equipment that transmits signals to the satellite transponders. Further, some ground stations include additional back-up equipment in the event of an original equipment failure. When the original equipment fails, the equipment can be manually repaired or replaced, or a switch can be made to the back-up equipment. Generally the switch is made when monitoring equipment recognizes a failure of the original equipment and directly switches to the back-up equipment. In many instances of equipment failure, signal transmission is interrupted for an extended period of time, which can severely threaten operation of the mobile platform, depending on the type of data being transmitted.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a communications system that can quickly and efficiently switch between transmission equipment with minimal disruption in service to the mobile platform.